Amie Steel

University of Technology Sydney | UTS · Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM)

Introduction Women with endometriosis are commonly dissatisfied with the standard treatments available and, as such, novel treatment options for endometriosis care needs to be explored. Women with endometriosis are known to seek care from naturopaths to assist in disease management. However, there is limited evidence on the types of treatments natu...

Problem Some women who intend to breastfeed experience a breastfeeding aversion response (BAR) while breastfeeding. Background Little is known about the experience of those who have feelings of aversion while breastfeeding. Aim This study aimed to investigate the experiences of women who have an aversion response to breastfeeding while their infa...

Background The transition from student to practitioner can be challenging, resulting in stress, burnout and attrition. While there has been ample research examining graduate medical and allied health practitioner experiences of transitioning to practice, there is a paucity of research exploring such experiences in newly qualified naturopathic medic...

Background Poor health outcomes amongst marginalized groups result in part from health inequities related to social and structural determinants of health. Marginalized people report higher incidences of comorbidities, chronic disease and adverse health behaviours than their nondisadvantaged peers. The objective of this review is to examine marginal...

Background Mental health disorders are a global health concern. In Australia, numerous national reports have found that the current mental healthcare system does not adequately meet the needs of Australians with mental illness. Consequently, a greater understanding of how people with a mental health disorder are using the broader healthcare system...

Introduction Urinary kryptopyrroles (UKP), or the ‘Mauve factor’, was first described in in the early 1960s with an observed association with psychiatric illness. Since this time, there has been growing interest in the clinical importance of UKP testing for a range of clinical conditions. However, there are substantive gaps in the available evidenc...

Background This descriptive study provides the first examination of global naturopathic education, regulation and practice frameworks that have potential to constrain or assist professional formation and integration in global health systems. Despite increasing public use, a significant workforce, and World Health Organization calls for national pol...

Background Health inequities or disparities challenge governments and public health systems, impacting health service delivery worldwide. Inherent disadvantage linked to the social determinants of health is intrinsic to the health outcomes among society’s marginalised and most vulnerable members. It is acknowledged that marginalised individuals pre...

This study explored the characteristics associated with the use of self‐care products and practices by people rehabilitating from stroke. A cross‐sectional sub‐study of the Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study in which 1300 participants who had indicated a doctor had diagnosed them as having had a stroke were mailed a sub‐study survey. The survey instru...

Maternal health and health behaviours prior to conception have significant short and long term impacts on maternal and child health. The World Health Organization acknowledges the importance of health care before conception-referred to as 'preconception care' (PCC) -to reduce maternal and childhood morbidity and mortality. PCC is an approach to hea...

Background Globally, complementary medicine (CM) product use is high-including vitamins, minerals and herbal medicines. The overuse of CM raises concerns about medicine sustainability that are critical considerations for human and planetary health. Poor CM health literacy may lead to the unnecessary use of CM. This is the first study to explore ass...

Background Dyspepsia represents a symptom domain rather than a diagnostic condition and covers a wide range of complex, underlying pathophysiologies that are not well understood. The review explores comparative effectiveness interventions for the treatment of symptomatic dyspepsia along a pragmatic-explanatory continuum. The aim is to identify rele...

Background Naturopathy, recognised by the World Health Organisation as a European traditional medicine system, is practiced in every world region. Patients in countries where naturopathy is practiced visit a naturopathic practitioner for a range of health concerns including maternal and reproductive health; recognised as a global health priority ar...

Background Increasing chronic condition diagnoses burden public health systems, individuals and communities. The duration and complexity of chronic conditions require ongoing, multifaceted care - such as person-centred care (PCC) - to address the individual needs and quality of life for patients. Many patients with chronic conditions seek additiona...

Maternal health and health behaviours prior to conception have significant short and long term impacts on maternal and child health. The World Health Organization acknowledges the importance of health care before conception-referred to as 'preconception care' (PCC) -to reduce maternal and childhood morbidity and mortality. PCC is an approach to hea...

Oral doses of certain essential oils may reduce symptoms of acute respiratory infections of viral origin. It is likely that the commercially available essential oil capsules Myrtol® (a mixture of essential oils of eucalyptus Eucalyptus globulus, sweet orange Citrus sinensis, myrtle Myrtus communis and lemon Citrus limonum) and Tavipec® (spike laven...

Introduction This study provides the first detailed empirical examination of the naturopathic profession and naturopathic practice in Australia. Methods Naturopaths from the Practitioner Research And Collaboration Initiative (PRACI) were invited to participate in an online workforce survey. Results The baseline survey was completed by 281 naturop...

Objectives: The incidence and the prevalence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) are increasing, and healthcare utilization among children with EoE is high. This study provides novel insights into the health services and the treatments, including complementary medicines (CMs), used by carers to manage their children's EoE as well as the carers' belie...

Objective: This study aims to describe the prevalence of health care utilization (including conventional medicine, self-care and complementary medicine treatments) for the management of asthma by women aged 45 years and over and their associated out-of-pocket expenditure. Methods: A self-reported mail survey of 375 Australian women, a cohort of the...

Problem: Limited literature is available about women who wish to breastfeed but experience unexpected feelings of aversion in reaction to their infant suckling at the breast while breastfeeding. Background: Breastfeeding benefits mothers, infants and society yet breastfeeding rates continue to fall below recommendations in part due to inadequate...

Ethnic minority populations have been identified as high users of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM). This paper reports the systematic review of TCAM use amongst ethnic minorities. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in Ovid, PubMed and CINAHL. Included studies were original, peer-reviewed, English language arti...

Background and objectives: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has been associated with preventive health behaviors. However, the role of CAM use in patients’ health behaviors remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the extent to which patients report that CAM use motivates them to make changes to their health behaviors. Materia...

Concomitant complementary medicine (CM) and conventional medicine use is frequent and carries potential risks. Yet, CM users frequently neglect to disclose CM use to medical providers. Our systematic review examines rates of and reasons for CM use disclosure to medical providers. Observational studies published 2003–2016 were searched (AMED, CINAHL...

Aims: To determine the prevalence, characteristics, expenditure and predictors of complementary medicine (CM) use in Australian adults living with gastrointestinal disorders (GID). Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 2,025 Australian adults was conducted. Participants were recruited through purposive convenience sampling. Descriptive statist...

While melatonin was once thought of simply as a sleep-inducing hormone, recent research has resulted in development of a deeper understanding of the complex physiological activity of melatonin in the human body. Along with this understanding has come widespread, increasing use of melatonin supplementation, extending beyond its traditional use as a...

Background The professional landscape of osteopathy in Australia has evolved substantially over recent years including changes in research, education and integration within the wider healthcare system. The challenges and opportunities experienced by members of the Australian osteopathic profession warrant closer examination. Objective Explore the...

Background and purpose: This study examines the relationship between the use of complementary medicine (CM) interventions or consultations with CM practitioners and women's choice of contraceptive method. Materials and methods: A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey of Australian Women aged 34–39 years from the Australian Longitudinal Stu...

Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional bowel disorder with a worldwide prevalence estimated between 10% and 20%. It has a significant impact on quality of life and societal expense. While there are pharmaceutical options available, few can be reliably recommended. Many IBS sufferers turn to complementary and alternative me...

The Australian government has recently announced major reforms to the private health insurance (PHI) system. Amongst the changes are the removal of government-subsidised PHI rebates for consultations with most unregistered complementary medicine practitioners, including naturopathy. However, there are several doubts about these reforms, as this com...

Background The effective translation of research findings into clinical practice is a significant challenge to the evidence-based practice movement. In response, implementation science (IS) – the study and application of methods to facilitate the integration of research findings and evidence into healthcare policy and practice – has emerged over re...

Breastfeeding (Nursing) Aversion

Background: High expectations about acupuncture might contribute to larger treatment effects (Prady et al., 2015). However, problems in the assessment are well known: 1) floor or ceiling effects lower variance; 2) expectation measures include general beliefs about complementary medicine; 3) construct validity of expectation measures remains unclear...

Naturopathy is a system of healthcare through which practitioners apply core philosophies, theories and principles to integrate medical knowledge with natural treatment options. In recent years the naturopathic community has developed a stronger international coherence. Alongside this growing connectivity in the global naturopathic profession, ther...

Complementary medicine (CM) holds an established place of value for health care consumers around the world. Consumers seek CM specifically for the type of clinical care provided by CM practitioners, which is perceived as holistic and individualized. The holistic approach of CM has been described as patient-centered and there are indeed many paralle...

Objective Patient-centred care (PCC) is increasingly recognised as a valuable paradigm of clinical care, particularly in the field of chronic disease. As the use of complementary medicine (CM) grows, so does the need to explore the clinical experience of CM patients. This study aims to provide an examination of patient perceptions of the degree to...

Background: Homeopathy use continues to grow in many European countries, and some studies have examined the characteristics of patients using homeopathy within the general population. The aim of this study was to identify predictors for homeopathy use among internal medicine patients. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducte...

Design A multi-site randomised clinical trial. Participants The Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) study of patients with breast cancer. Data was collected from 2413 women with breast cancer but without diabetes mellitus, aged 27–70 years at diagnosis. A total of 2064 participants (85.5%) were Caucasian with 1335 (55.3%) college educated. Int...

Objective: This review aims to describe the prevalence of empathy, empowerment and patient-centred clinical care experienced by patients in complementary medicine (CM) consultations. Methods: A systematic review was undertaken of original research exploring patient perceptions of CM clinical care. Ten databases were searched: Alt HealthWatch, AM...

The Australian complementary medicine (CM) community needs advancement in clinical knowledge that can be implemented into grass roots practice, yet there is still an ongoing gap between academic researchers and clinical practitioners. A practice-based research network (PBRN) is a feasible research model that can be of great value to clinical practi...